Mirror Image
by Fayina
Summary: This is a retelling of the episode with the mirror image of Miaka. I have just added the third chapter. I hope you enjoy what I have so far. Please R/R ^_^
1. Default Chapter

A gentle breeze blew through Miaka's hair as she walked carelessly ahead of the others. The woods around her were dim and misty. It was getting very close to nightfall and the temperature was slowly dropping. Miaka shivered and wrapped her arms tightly around her shoulders. It was a strange world she now found herself in.  
  
She turned around and saw Tamahome, Nuriko, and Hotohori slowly catching up to her. At the site of Tamahome she quickened her pace. That man, with his tall dark and handsome good looks, and his cocky behavior simply infuriated her. It had been only a moment ago when she had caught him looking at her panties when she had accidentally tripped and even before that he had caught her naked in the lake as she had been bathing. Then he had the gall to insult her! Ha! Bigger breasts indeed.  
  
Still. there was something about him that she was captivated by. Why else would she feel such strong emotion every time he was near? She knew she was beginning to fall madly in love with that rude mouthed boy. She had even told him so only days before, but she knew it was all in vain. He said he felt absolutely nothing for her. She had been deeply wounded by that cold hearted boy. Surely he must feel something!  
  
Suddenly, Miaka smelled food. Her eyes widened in delight as the smells of her favorite foods wafted passed her nose.  
  
" Oh I am simply starving!" She said out loud as she sniffed out the source of food. " I haven't eaten a thing in at least an hour!"  
  
It had only been an hour ago when she and the rest had eaten at an inn. Truly, it was only her who ate.. There had been at least ten bowls of rice that she had engulfed. But THAT was nothing like what she smelled now. As she hurried further along the sight of food was before her eyes. There was so much food! She almost drooled at the thought of eating it all. She hurried closer without taking her eyes off the food. She began stuffing her face and did not even glance up to notice her location.  
  
Suddenly she heard laughter behind and she turned around with a piece of chicken still sticking out of her mouth. She quickly swallowed it down. She was shocked as she saw the source of the laughter. It was someone who was identical to her! How strange it was to see her replica standing there in front of her!  
  
"Welcome to the Mirro World Miaka," said her replica with a gleam in her eye. Then she laughed once more.  
  
"Huh.," said the real Miaka with her mouth hanging open in shock.  
  
" You are such a greedy person Miaka. I really am quite ashamed of myself. But things will be different from now on. You'll see." The replica smiled cunningly.  
  
" What.What is going on," Miaka stammered.  
  
The replica continued to speak. " You eat as if it is your last meal. You are a disgusting pig with the way you eat."  
  
"Who.who are you?"  
  
"Who am I? I am you dummy. You and I are one and the same."  
  
Miaka was confused as she pondered this in her head.  
  
Suddenly she heard Tamahome calling for her and she turned around. He was there in the forest. Miaka's heart pounded furiously and she tried to run toward him. She ran straight into a glass barrier.  
  
"Out of my way. You will remain here now. Enjoy and eat as much as you want. I don't care." With that said, the imposter pushed her out of the way and easily went through the mirror.  
  
"I really don't know what you see in that worthless boy. I am going to go after a much greater catch. The Emperor is much better than that poor Tamahome."  
  
Miaka watched as Tamahome approached the imposter.  
  
"Where have you been Miaka? We have been looking all over for you."  
  
The imposter smiled coyly and approached Tamahome. " Were you worried about me?" She asked as she walked past him, rubbing seductively up against his leg.  
  
Then she ran straight into Hotohori's arms as he and Nuriko were approaching them.  
  
" I have changed my mind, Hotorori! I don't want to go back to my homeland. I want to stay with you forever and ever!" The imposter wrapped her arms around Hotohori's neck and gently laid her head on his shoulder.  
  
Hotohori looked down at her in shock. His usually somber expression filled with joy. " Do you truly mean this, Miaka? We will turn back immediately if that is your wish."  
  
"Oh that is my wish, Hotohori! I only want to be with you," she added that last sentence with a sly glance back to Tamahome who seemed to be in shock. The Imposter saw the look of anger flash over Nuriko's face. The Imposter just smiled.  
  
" Can we go back to the palace right now? These woods are started to scare me and I still fill a little weak from being sick." The Imposter added as she smiled innocently up at Hotohori.  
  
"Yes, of course. We will return at once. You wont regret this decision Miaka. I promise you that! Go get the horses Tamahome. We shall return at once."  
  
Tamahome silently did as the Emperor requested.  
  
The real Miaka watched all of this in shock. Whatever was she going to do? 


	2. Chapter 2

They made it back to the palace in a little over three hours. Tamahome had watched irritably as Miaka held tightly to Hotohori as the trip had worn on. She had not even glanced at him once during the whole trip back because her attention was so transfixed with Hotohori.  
  
Tamahome was now in his chambers moodily slouching on his bed. It was his fault that Miaka was now ignoring him. He never should have lied and told her that he felt nothing for her. That was far from the truth. He felt a great deal for her and knew that he was falling in love with her. He had lost his chance and there was nothing he could do about it. Miaka was now officially Hotohori's.  
  
Nuriko stormed into his room.  
  
"Oh the nerve of that girl! The way she flings herself at my Hotohori!"  
  
"Yeah so." Tamahome said with a total lack of emotion.  
  
Nuriko stared at him with a mixture of amusement and vexation.  
  
"Is this how we are going to play it now? Are you just going to pretend that you don't care?"  
  
"Care about what?" He said this with the same tone.  
  
"Miaka you idiot!"  
  
"Miaka can do whatever she wants. It doesn't bother me."  
  
"Liar," Nuriko said in a unusually calm voice. "You care more than you even know. You will have to admit your true feelings to her soon if you ever want a chance."  
  
"If I did care," said Tamahome with his voice rising in anger. " I would have no chance at all anymore. It is Hotohori she loves. Not me."  
  
" Yes. isn't that strange that it was only a few days ago that she was professing her love for you. Now she is all over my Hotorhori. Something very strange is going on here," Nuriko said almost to herself.  
  
" Nothing strange at all is going on here. It is just the fickle nature of a woman's heart is all. I am glad I don't care." Tamahome said softly.  
  
"No. there IS something strange going on," Nuriko said once again. " There is something very strange going on with Miaka and I intend to find out exactly what it is."  
  
With that Nuriko stormed out of Tamahome's room and headed for Miaka's. Tamahome continued to pout in silence now that he was alone once more. 


	3. Chapter 3

Nuriko was about to barge right into Miaka's room when she was stopped by the sound of laughter. It was a wicked laugh filled with mirth and scorn. What shocked Nuriko most about the laughter was its source. It was Miaka. Instead of barging in like Nuriko had first intended, Nuriko crouched by and peeked into the bedroom window.  
  
"Oh this is perfect absolutely perfect," Nuriko heard Miaka exclaim inside. " That fool Hotohori actually believes that I simply love and adore him. What an idiot! It is not the man I love. but the power he possesses as an emperor. Yes. and soon that will be all mine!" More laughter.  
  
Nuriko's head filled with rage. Why that scheming no good lying hussy! The way she was talking about Hotohori. Nuriko just wanted to ring the girl's neck. Miaka had fooled them all with her fake innocent act. Nuriko should have seen right through it. She had been an idiot to fall for that act. Nuriko was about to confront Miaka when she heard another voice that caught her attention.  
  
" Don't hurt them!" The voice pleaded. "Why are you doing this? Why can't you just go away and leave us alone?"  
  
Nuriko watched as Miaka brought a mirror up to her face and look into it. What Nuriko was inside of it was simply startling. There was another Miaka in there that was the one who had been pleading for the safety of her friends.  
  
"You are a fool Miaka. You never went after the great prize. You could have been an Empress and you could have lived a life of luxury as the Priestess of Suzaka. Instead you whined about wanting to go home and you fell for that loathsome Tamahome. I am just doing exactly what you should have been doing if you had only had the brains to accomplish it. Poor Miaka. You truly are and idiot."  
  
The sound of crying came from the Miaka in the mirror. "Please don't hurt them.Please," she whispered in anguish.  
  
"Poor foolish Miaka. I wont hurt your friends. unless they get in my way." More fiendish laughter came from the Imposter Miaka.  
  
"Oh! You are a horrible horrible person!" The Miaka in the mirror cried out through the tears. "How can you be so cruel?"  
  
"Why Miaka. that is simply no way to talk about yourself. You and I are one and the same like I said before. Don't ever forget that."  
  
"I am nothing like you," screamed the Miaka in the mirror.  
  
"Yes you are.you just haven't realized it yet," said Imposter Miaka with her ever popular laughter.  
  
With that said, the Imposter Miaka dropped the mirror back to her side and the no more crying was heard from the Miaka in the mirror. The Imposter Miaka hummed softly to herself as she began to brush her hair.  
  
Nuriko backed away from the window. Nuriko had to tell Hotohori about what had just been discovered about Miaka. This was a sticky situation. An Imposter Miaka was on the loose and the real Miaka was trapped in a mirror. Whatever was to be done? Nuriko sighed in frustration as she hurried to the Emperor's chamber.  
  
"My my Nuriko. you seemed to be in quite the hurry," came a voice from behind.  
  
Nuriko turned around to see the Imposter Miaka standing right there with the devious of smiles on her face.  
  
"What do you want," Nuriko asked rudely.  
  
"What do I want," said the Imposter Miaka as if she was truly pondering over the question. The she smiled brightly as if she had just come to the answer of the question.  
  
" I want you dead, Nuriko." 


End file.
